Il Napoli flees, who will be able to keep up with him? With the 3-2 onUdinese the azzurri won for the eleventh consecutive time in the league, even reaching +11 on Lazio e Milan, the closest in the standings. It's not yet a ruling, given that we're only on matchday 15, but it's clear that it's a nice advantage, even if with one more game. Milan-Fiorentina, Juventus-Lazio, Atalanta-Inter e Rome-Turin thus they become even more delicate than they would have already been, because then it will stop for almost two months and doing it at a stellar distance from the first would not be exactly the ideal scenario.
Napoli-Udinese 3-2, Spalletti enjoys: "First part of the season as Martians, but it's still long..."
That the Napoli win is almost no longer news, not even if it is the eleventh time in a row. In reality, however, we are witnessing something sensational, as demonstrated by the missteps of the competitors: that would be normal, but it is clear that the leaders raise the bar for everyone. Yesterday the Azzurri were devastating for an hour, in which they took a 3-0 lead (Osimhen on 15', Zielinski on 31' and Elmas on 58') practically without risking anything. Then a little complacency set in, to the point that theUdinese he scored two goals in 3' (Nestorovski in the 79th minute, Samardzic in the 82nd minute), giving Maradona's 50 a few shivers, but not to the point of ruining what had previously been done. "All victories are suffered, the final 15 minutes of tonight underline how nothing has been taken for granted in what has been done so far - Spalletti's words -. I have to thank the guys for all the victories that made us happy, they did a first part of the championship like Martians, they all worked hard, we are a wonderful group. Are we favorites for the Scudetto? I'm not interested in these speeches, there are still many games left with 69 points available, the road is long but my team knows it perfectly".
Milan – Fiorentina (18pm, Dazn)
Very straight antennas on all fields, starting with the San Siro where the Milan di Pioli will try to return to victory so as not to let Napoli escape, but also to avoid overtaking from the rear. Ahead will be the insidious Fiorentina of Italian, found after a complicated start with three victories (in addition to qualifying for the Conference playoffs) which gave confidence and morale. The opposite of the Rossoneri, until a few weeks ago very fast behind Napoli and now sunk to minus 11 after the defeat in Turin and the draw in Cremona. In short, the Devil can no longer be wrong, otherwise the dream of the second star would seriously risk remaining just that.
Pioli: "We don't like the standings, we have to win"
“Winning would mean demonstrating that you are not giving up on a ranking that we don't like – explained Pioli -. The championship is still long and we have to play a game at our level, it's such an anomalous calendar that there are still 24 days left... 2022 has been very positive for us, but we mustn't stop. We have great respect for Fiorentina, but we have to stay focused on our performance. What they will do we know and know, but we can determine our performance and when we succeed, most of the time, we bring home a positive result".
Milan - Fiorentina, the formations: Pioli loses Messias, in his place Krunic
Compared to Cremona, the Milan-type will be seen again, even if theMessias injury it will force Pioli to review the plans for the trocar. However, the coach finds two fundamental elements in Giroud and Theo Hernandez, and also relaunches Leao from the start, in the hope that the upcoming World Cup will give him that sprint that was somewhat lacking in the last few races. The Rossoneri 4-2-3-1 will thus see Tatarusanu in goal, Kalulu, Kjaer, Tomori and Hernandez in defense, Bennacer and Tonali in midfield, Diaz, Krunic and Leao in the trocar, Giroud in attack. Same game system also for the Italian, who will respond with Terracciano in goal, Dodo, Milenkovic, Igor and Biraghi in the back, Amrabat and Mandragora in the midfield, Ikoné, Bonaventura and Kouamé behind the lone striker Jovic.
Juventus – Lazio (20.45 pm, Dazn)
Gala evening at the Stadium, where Juventus e Lazio they will compete for the most noble areas of the ranking. The result in Naples does not authorize Scudetto dreams, but Allegri and Sarri are currently thinking above all about the Champions League, postponing everything else to the post-break. It goes without saying that a victory would be very important for both, but perhaps it is the Lady who is playing for something more, in the light of the greater summer expectations, betrayed by a tragic start to the season but reinvigorated by the last period, in which she collected five consecutive successes, however without conceding a goal. However, Lazio also plays a lot, furthermore Sarri's desire for revenge should not be underestimated, determined to challenge his ex (never loved, mutual feeling) and to beat her with that never really appreciated game.
Allegri: "Complicated match, but we need to give continuity to the final period"
"I expect a complicated match against a team like Lazio who are doing very well, then in football after 10 minutes maybe everything changes - Allegri's analysis -. We come from an important strand and we have to follow up these five victories with a positive result, knowing that Lazio only conceded one goal away, we also know that it is always difficult to beat Sarri's teams, plus Lazio have technique and physicality . Scudetto? Napoli have lost only four points since the start of the championship, then in football you can never say anything but at the moment we are only thinking about doing the best we can."
Juventus – Lazio, the formations: Vlahovic and Immobili unavailable, Chiesa returns
The comparison between Vlahovic e Property, one of the most anticipated in the summer, will not be there due to the unavailability of both. The Serbian's forfeit was fairly obvious, while Ciro's is the result of a nuisance he had in the final finishing touches just before leaving for Turin. Both Sarri and Allegri will therefore be forced to grit their teeth, waiting for the break World return the best raw material to both. The Juventus coach also has to deal with the aches and pains of Locatelli and Cuadrado (but they should be there), but he finds Chiesa again, called up again after the absence of Verona. The ordinance 3-5-1-1 will thus see Szczesny in goal, Bremer, Bonucci and Danilo in defense, Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot and Kostic in midfield, Miretti behind the lone Milik striker. Classic 4-3-3 also for Sarri, who however will have to give up on Lazzari, who stopped during the match against Monza: in the back row, to protect Provedel's posts, there will thus be Hysaj, Casale, Romagnoli and Marusic, with Milinkovic- Savic, Cataldi and Vecino in the midfield, and the trident Felipe Anderson, Immobile and Pedro in attack.
Atalanta – Inter (12.30, Dazn, Sky and Now TV)
Big match also in Bergamo, where Atalanta e Inter they have no more margin for error. In fact, Inzaghi ran out of it in Turin (assuming he still had some left), Gasperini in Lecce in the midweek round: if the two Nerazzurri want to aim for the very first positions they cannot lose, otherwise they should review their seasonal ambitions. However, it is clear that it is Inter who risk the most, given that they were built with decidedly higher expectations: however, the five defeats in just 14 days have affected the season, just like the 20 goals conceded and the incredible score in the direct matches , which saw the Nerazzurri defeated in the presence of Lazio, Milan, Rome and Juventus. The goleada with Bologna has brought a shred of serenity back to the environment, but now the Atalanta exam arrives and the feeling is that it could be really important for Inzaghi: another slip-up, thanks to the long break in the World Cup, would open processes open to all outcomes , even the most drastic ones.
Inzaghi: "We want to win the first direct match of the championship"
“It will be a very difficult challenge because we know that Bergamo is a very difficult field – he confirmed Inzaghi -. The motivations that the two teams will be able to put on the pitch will make the difference, given that both us and Atalanta only had three days to prepare for the match. Haven't we won a direct match yet? Something was missing in the league, clearly we need to work more on the episodes and details, let's hope this is the first time. In the Champions League we managed to limit this problem in important matches, for example against Barcelona".
Atalanta - Inter, the formations: Brozovic still on the bench
Many thought that today's race could be the right one to review Brozovic from the first minute, but Inzaghi, thanks to the excellent things done by Calhanoglu and Mkhitaryan, does not want to change the balance built in the last month and a half. L'Inter therefore, net of the absence of the usual Lukaku, he will be in a typical formation, therefore 3-5-2 with Onana in goal, Skriniar, Acerbi and Bastoni in defense, Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan and Dimarco in midfield, Dzeko and Lautaro in attack. Eleven holder also for Gasperini, except for Muriel and De Roon, who after the unfortunate turnover in Lecce will return to relying on the usual 3-4-1-2 with Musso between the posts, Toloi, Demiral and Scalvini in the back department, Hateboer, Ederson, Koopmeiners and Maehle in the midfield, Pasalic behind the offensive duo made up of Lookman and Zapata.
Rome – Turin (15 pm, Dazn)
Very delicate race also at the Olimpico, where the Roma by Mourinho is called to return to victory after the defeat in the derby and the draw with Sassuolo. Just the post match in Reggio Emilia further inflamed spirits, with the Special One once again on the cover: his very tough attack on Karsdorp (“he betrayed us, I asked him to leave in January”) divided the critics between those in favor and those who, on the other hand, think it is wrong to wash dirty laundry in public, especially in a hot square like the Capital (“now the boy he will no longer be able to leave the house”, the comment of the ex ds Sabatini). Mou in any case he goes on his way, aware however that today he can only win: another misstep, as well as removing him from the Champions area, would create a bad mood destined to remain in the air for the next two months.
Rome – Turin, the formations: Mourinho finds Dybala (on the bench)
The best news for the Roma people is certainly the return of Dybala, available again after more than a month: the Argentine however isn't at his best, so he'll only be on the bench also because, with the World Cup just around the corner, there's no point in taking risks. The 3-4-1-2 of Mou it will therefore be similar to Wednesday, given that Spinazzola and Pellegrini do not recover, but with an extra Abraham: the Englishman has responded well to his coach's barbs and is ready to challenge Toro, perhaps to give an answer to Southgate who has excluded (like Smalling) from the lists for Qatar. In defense, in front of Rui Patricio, a 3-man line with Mancini, Smalling and Ibanez, with Celik, Cristante, Camara and Zalewski in midfield, Volpato on the trocar, Zaniolo and Abraham in attack. Juric, back from the success against Sampdoria, will try to close the calendar year on a high note with a 3-4-2-1 with Milinkovic-Savic between the posts, Djidji, Buongiorno and Rodriguez in the back department, Singo, Ricci, Linetty and Lazaro in the midfield, Miranchuk and Vlasic behind the lone striker Pellegri.
